


To Be Warm

by darter_blue



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bucky Barnes Recovering, Fluff, Getting Together, Huddling For Warmth, M/M, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:14:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26827195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darter_blue/pseuds/darter_blue
Summary: It's cold. Like, ridiculously cold. And Bucky is awake - partly because his brain just won't shut off tonight, and partly because the comforter, the blanket, the other blanket and the three pairs of socks he's wearing are just not enough to keep the cold out.Bucky hates the cold.Back living with Steve and finding his way to recovery, Bucky just wants to be warm... and it just so happens that the warmest place in the apartment is in Steve's bed - right up next to Steve, the human furnace...But does Bucky have it in him to crawl in next to Steve and borrow some of that warmth? Will Steve let him? Will it turn out that Steve has wanted Bucky there all along?For my Bucky Barnes Bingo Square: K1/ Huddling for warmth
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Comments: 55
Kudos: 382
Collections: Bucky Barnes Bingo 2020





	To Be Warm

**Author's Note:**

> This was a request for a drabble from a Tumblr friend that turned into a sweet little fic... so enjoy the softness and the warmth...
> 
> And the love.

It's cold. Like, ridiculously cold. And Bucky is awake - partly because his brain won't shut off tonight, and partly because the comforter, the blanket, the other blanket and the three pairs of socks he's wearing are just not enough to keep the cold out.

Bucky  _ hates _ the cold.

It's been nearly a year since he failed his mission. Failed Hydra. Chose Steve.

And it's been nearly a month since he agreed to move into Steve's apartment and rent out his spare room (Steve is charging him almost nothing, but Bucky has been sneaking money into his account anyway. All of Steve's bank passwords are Bucky’s old serial number, 32557038... which makes Bucky's heart hurt in a way he doesn't quite understand).

But tonight is the first real, proper, freezing New York evening. And Steve's apartment is nothing like the temperature controlled room at Shield. Its old and it's drafty and it  _ sucks _ .

Bucky is lying in bed, shivering, cold to the core, and he has the worst idea stuck on repeat in his head.

Because, the thing is, he knows why Steve has such a stupid cold apartment. He knows why this weather doesn't bother Steve at all. He knows exactly how hot Steve Rogers body runs - Steve is like a walking, talking furnace... So Bucky knows that the warmest spot in the apartment right now is in the bed of the next room over.

Right up close next to Steve.

It takes another seven minutes and twenty two seconds (and a blast of cold air from under the shitty window) for Bucky to decide, you know what? Fuck it.

He's doing it.

He drags the comforter off the bed, around himself, and shuffles into the hallway to the next room over.

He knocks very tentatively on the frame of the open door.

He gets no response.

'Steve?' He whispers.

Nothing.

'Stevie?' He says, a little louder.

Crickets.

He moves a little further into the room. 'Hey, punk!' He says, reaching a foot up onto the bed to jostle Steve with.

He gets a snort and a sniffle. And that’s it. Steve has his back to Bucky, and it's not even under the damn covers. It's bare, and (ridiculous, broad beauty notwithstanding) it's making Bucky feel even colder.

'Okay, move over Stevie, you’re killing me,' Bucky finally says, kneeling on the bed and knee walking over to Steve. He keeps the comforter wrapped around his shoulders and climbs under Steve's covers too. And oh  _ god. _

Steve is so fucking  _ warm. _

Bucky can't help the moan that escapes him just from the feel of that glorious heat seeping through his skin, down down into his blood, warming him to his  _ bones. _

It's like  _ heaven. _

'Fucking  _ hell,  _ Steve,' he says with gusto. Because Bucky knew Steve ran hot, but this is  _ crazy.  _ He feels so  _ good.  _ And though Bucky honestly thought at this point Steve would sleep through an earthquake, somehow Bucky's cold hands getting close enough to touch Steve's arm sends a shock through Steve, enough to startle him awake. Enough for him to roll over in a panic and grab at Bucky.

'Whoa, Stevie!' Bucky says softly, in his most Bucky Barnes like accent (he can put it on, when he wants to. Sometimes it's even involuntary) 'It's just me!'

'Buck?' Steve says, all bleary eyed and scrunchy nosed, 'What?'

'I'm sorry, Steve, I didn't mean to scare you I just...' Bucky's looking at Steve and Steve is rubbing at his face, blinking back at Bucky in the most stupidly adorable way, Bucky has to bite down a smile. 'I was cold.'

'You're cold?' Steve asks, sounding more awake, 'You okay?'

'Is it okay if I stay in here with you?' Bucky starts, 'Is just you're s-'

'Of course!' Steve says quickly, cutting Bucky off, 'Of course you can, Buck.' And because the universe hates (or maybe loves) Bucky Barnes, Steve, in nothing but his tighty whities, is rolling all the way around to clutch at Bucky from under the comforter, and pull him right up to lay under Steve's chin. 'I'm plenty warm enough for both of us, Bucky.'

And Bucky can't help but sigh into Steve's neck. Burrow in even closer, snake his cold hands (one so very much colder than the other) up to rest on Steve's chest. Oh, if the Winter Soldier could see him now. Become this soft, sappy version of himself. Bucky's not sure if he would have hated it, or if seeing it would have been enough to break his programming.

Either way, it's broken now and Bucky gets to have this. All of the soft warmth and comfort he could ask for.

More than he deserves.

But he'll fucking take it. Because he wants it. He  _ loves _ it.

Who wouldn't?

'Better?' Steve asks, wrapping his giant arms around Bucky's back and closing the warmth around him like a haven.

'Perfect,' Bucky says back, muffled and sleepy.

And who knows what Steve's thinking, but it must be something insane, because he reaches his chin down to nuzzle into Bucky's messy hair and before Bucky has fully processed that he is  _ kissing Bucky on the head. _

And while Bucky's mind is reeling at the meaning behind that, at the meaning behind Steve’s lips just gently pressing into Bucky’s bed head hair, like he’s been ding it all his life, Steve is snoring _. Snoring! _

So what choice does Bucky have but to close his eyes tight, take a deep breath and scream out his feelings in absolute silence.

And when he's done he takes a minute to snuggle in deeper, he gets himself comfortable, and then he kisses Steve back. A soft little kiss, right on his beautiful shoulder. And when Steve sighs between snores, grips Bucky tighter, Bucky can be excused for the way he just  _ melts _ .

He's fully thawed.

He's so warm he doesn't remember ever being cold.

And he could stay like this forever. Wrapped up in Steve’s arms, like something precious. Something treasured.

He wants that. More than anything. 

So, maybe he will.

Maybe he will.

**Author's Note:**

> If you wanna come chat with me, you can find me [here](https://darter-blue.tumblr.com/) on tumblr or [here](https://twitter.com/beclouise13) on twitter
> 
> Big hugs everyone ❤


End file.
